President Adama Barrow has rubbished claims that the First Family spends D150,000 daily on food.
During the UDP’s congress last year, Ousainu Darboe said: “How can it be just or moral that the president of this country is being paid a salary of D250,000 a month and can turn around and further allocate himself D150,000 a day to spend on food. What kind of unheard of gluttony would possess the leader of one of world’s poorest countries to spend more money on his personal food than is allocated for the medicine and equipment of our underfunded hospitals?”
Mr Darboe recently repeated the attack.
But speaking in Gunjur on Friday, the president responded to Mr Darboe who underwent a minor operation at Africmed Hospital last week.
“No matter how many compounds you have, you can only stay in one. No matter how many houses you have, you can only sleep in one. In that house, no matter how big your bed, you can only sleep on one side. So, whoever thinks like that will not just focus on eating. They claimed I spend D150,000 on food alone each day at State House. If all that food goes into my stomach, by now I would be admitted at Africmed too,” Barrow stated.
“Everyone eats, whether you are president or not. I will not listen to them. I know the Gambian people have trust and confidence in me. That is why it took only three months for me to become president. I have seen people striving to become president for 40, 20, 26 years but they couldn’t and they will never become president. On 4th December most of them will be pensioned and you will never see them again in this country,” he teased.
Renewing his attack on Darboe whom he publicly acknowledges as his political godfather, Barrow said. “Every blessed man wants your children to inherit you. [Now Ousainu Darboe] wants to inherit his children instead. In fact some of those running for president this year can be his grandsons. In the past he said I am Moses [the deliverer]. Today, he says I am Satan. How can I be Moses yesterday and be Satan today? How is that possible? Don’t listen to them. They are chameleons. They are desperate. They told everyone President Barrow doesn’t have people. But now, having seen the crowds in Gunjur, Brufut, Kunkujang, they know I have people.”
1,500-bed hospital
The president promised to build a 1,500-bed hospital in Farato, which would be three times bigger than the country’s main referral, Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul.
“I want to tell the people of Kombo that I will build the biggest hospital in the country which will even compete with top hospitals in Africa. These days, we will lay the foundation in Farato, which is in Kombo. It will be three times bigger than the Banjul hospital. There are 500 beds in Banjul hospital; this one will have 1,500 beds. It will be the biggest hospital in The Gambia,” he said.
